Explore nature and help Cape Town win the City Nature Challenge — here's how

The City of Cape Town will open several of its nature reserves to the public and has arranged free guided walks between April 30 and May 3.

Residents have been urged to get out and explore nature to capture as many wild plants and animals as possible and help the city win this year's City Nature Challenge. It will be competing with various other cities on the continent and globally to capture and record different species.

Mayoral committee member for spatial planning and environment Marian Nieuwoudt said participants need to download the iNaturalist app and upload as many species as possible. They must include a time and location. 

Experts will go through all the submissions and identify the species. 

“The Mother City stands a good chance of occupying the top spot on the international biodiversity map for the second time, after winning two categories in the 2019 City Nature Challenge, with the most recorded observations and most recorded species.

“Schools, universities and social groups are encouraged to use this as an opportunity to facilitate, manage and support student outdoor learning and exploration in schoolyards, nearby parks or other green spaces,” said Nieuwoudt. 

According to a Sunday Times report, more than 13,000 people have reported nearly 30,000 species in 1.2 million observations on iNaturalist, and the numbers are increasing daily. 

Rupert Koopman, conservation manager at the Botanical Society of SA, said there aren't enough experts in SA.

“There are not enough trained botanists and entomologists, and a lot of botany is seasonal. Citizen scientists are looking at things at any time of year,” said Koopman.